DOGE Aims to Cut Spending in Government, But What About the Defense Department?

Rep. Brian Mast

With Elon Musk using the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the directive of President Donald Trump (R), over a hundred billion taxpayer dollars have been saved. However, the Department of Defense (DOD) boasts a $1.39 trillion budget. Granted, it's only been two months since President Trump came into office, but will Elon Musk and DOGE address the blue whale that is the Defense Department?

Where Should DOGE Start?

The Floridian has learned that the U.S. Army appears to grant "no-bid" contracts to a food service company in the name of emergency, but were all competing companies proven incapable of fulfilling an order efficiently and effectively? The Floridian has learned that this may not be the case.

Is this conducive to a transparent pattern of government spending? Does this promote the tenets of free market capitalism? Doesn't competition seem necessary with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake?

This week, we spoke to Rep. Brian Mast (R), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and asked him about some of the questionable procurement practices that the Department of Defense (D0D) and may be partaking in.

According to the committee, it has "jurisdiction over laws, programs, and agencies under permanent authority in numerous titles of the United States Code, including title 10 (Armed Forces), title 32 (National Guard), title 37 (Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services), title 41 (Public Contracts), title 42 (Atomic Energy), title 46."

Rep. Mast said that the Defense Department is currently in "transition," but that potential favoritism by way of "no-bid" contracts or personal relationships between vendors and and procurement managers, could "point to government corruption," let alone an issue with full transparency.

"You can see how it can be easily exploited," Rep. Mast added when asked about government contracts being granted to outside vendors.

What Are Elected Officials Saying About DOGE And The Defense Department?

Representative Scott Franklin (R-FL) spoke to The Floridian in March regarding DOGE and whether it should cipher through the DOD for potential waste, fraud, and abuse.

Rep. Franklin, a 26-year Navy aviator, provided examples of some of the areas in which the military can be less wasteful and more careful with taxpayer dollars. The Floridian Publisher Javier Manjarres caught up with Rep. Franklin and asked him about how Elon Musk and DOGE should approach the Department of Defense.

"Everything ought to be looked at. I spent a whole career in the military. There's certainly a lot of waste there," said Rep. Franklin.

When asked if there should be a lot more oversight on the civilian contractors that deal with the DoD contracts, Franklin said he's in favor of digging into the financials for everyone to see.

"When was the last time the Department of Defense passed an audit? Like years and years and years. I think we need to do that," said Franklin. "But there's absurd waste even within DOD. And I can say that as a military guy, and even worse, in the military, it's not just a year-to-year process, but military budgets by quarter. And if you don't spend your money, a lot of money in a quarter, in many cases, you're not even allowed to carry it over to the following quarter."

Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) also pointed out the bureaucratic nature of the Pentagon when speaking to Texas Politics last month, calling for reforms similar to those needed in other federal agencies. He argued that the DOD, like other agencies, requires a closer look and needs to be reformed to eliminate inefficiencies.

“Pentagon needs reform like every other agency,” said Roy “I view it equally as bureaucratic if not more than every other agency, so reform it all.”

Jackson Bakich

Born in Orlando but raised in Lake County, Florida, Jackson Bakich is currently a senior at Florida State University. Growing up in the sunshine state, Bakich co-hosted the political talk radio show "Lake County Roundtable" (WLBE) and was a frequent guest for "Lake County Sports Show" (WQBQ). Currently, he is the Sports Editor of the FSView and the co-host of "Tomahawk Talk" (WVFS), a sports talk radio program covering Florida State athletics in Tallahassee.